Dan Patrick considers 'nuclear option' on property tax relief bill
Unable to rally the support to advance marquee property tax relief legislation, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he is considering the so-called nuclear option of discarding a rule that requires 19 votes to bring a bill to the Senate floor for debate.
The bill would constrain how much taxing authorities can collect in revenue, one of the top issues Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Lake Jackson, pledged to address this legislative session. The bill faces resistance from local officials, especially on the city and county level, who say the proposal would affect how much they can allocate for everything from firefighter pay to parks maintenance.
Under the so-called three-fifths rule in the 31-member Senate, Republicans need 19 votes to bring Senate Bill 2 to the floor for a vote. There are 19 GOP senators. But one of them, Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, a former mayor, has said he is a no vote on the legislation as written.
With all Democratic senators opposing the bill, which easily passed the Republican-dominated Senate Property Tax Committee, it will fail to get a vote unless Patrick, who presides over the Senate, changes the three-fifths rule.
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20190412/dan-patrick-considers-nuclear-option-on-property-tax-relief-bill